So the eight days of walking didn’t happen the way I thought. I began walking at 9:00 on Monday morning in Gournay. I was nervous about the loneliness but as I began walking I was actually excited about getting through this on my own. So I was able to walk 32 miles the first day and I felt pretty good. I stopped for a small lunch and dinner and didn’t stop for the day until 10:00 PM. It felt like the second longest day of my life (the longest one being the last day of the American leg – 52 miles of walking!). So I camped out in the middle of nowhere rather close to the road. I got some pretty good sleep that night. I walked until I couldn’t walk anymore. The next morning I woke up at 8:30 and got ready for another big day. I once again walked all day and took little breaks to try and make good time. I realized that I could accomplish eight days of walking in five and a half days. If I get to
Tours by Saturday afternoon, then I can get a train into downtown
Paris and get a free ride from Michelle since she’ll be in
Paris ! So I pushed and pushed and pushed all day long to try and make it. I would have to do 36 miles a day if I wanted to make it. But as I was walking in the afternoon I stepped down from the sidewalk and just felt a tear or something in my left foot. I limped in pain for the rest of the day. I went to bed that night and I was so exhausted; I felt sooooo horrible. So I woke up the next morning and I still felt terrible. I had no energy and usually I do at the beginning of a day. I didn’t know what to do. I got off to a late start, I was walking slower, and I was hurting really bad. I burned myself out. I wasn’t hurt severely, I just over-exhausted myself. It’s kind of like when a car overheats. The car isn’t permanently broken but it still can’t move. That’s kind of what happened to me. So I walked to the next town that luckily had a train station and I got a train back into
Paris . Luckily my uncle was coming back into town and I would be able to see him one more night before he leaves for his vacation. So I had to stop early…a lot early. But I was still able to walk 78 miles in two and a half days. So I’m not at too much of a set back. But I have to take a few days off and relax so I don’t get seriously hurt later down the road.
So on my few days off before Brett came I just relaxed around my uncle’s house. I went to the market to get some food, walked the dog a little bit, and hung out with my uncle’s neighbor, Michelle. We drove into
Paris and drove around just a little bit. Then Brett came in on Tuesday and we have been hanging out for the last two days. This is our last little break before the end. From here on out we don’t have another contact to stay with until the end, unless something happens and we meet someone who is nice enough for us to stay with them, which I wouldn’t be surprised. The most exciting day of the break was when Michelle took Brett and me to this castle called
Pierrefonds . It was one of the coolest attractions I’ve seen so far in my whole walk through
Europe . I love castles and I’ve always wanted to see one. It was one of the most incredible structures I’ve ever seen. I was even told that this castle was the one that inspired the setting of the Disney movie “Sleeping Beauty.” I put plenty of pictures up to show you how amazing it is. It doesn’t look exactly like the castle in the movie but that’s just what I was told.
I’ve very excited about this last section with Brett. What’s so crazy about a new person to walk with is that you never know what is going to happen. I had a lot of great experiences with Stacey and there were a lot of crazy things that happened to us that I didn’t expect. It was quite an amazing adventure. But a whole different area with a different person will be a whole new story. Unpredictability in these situations can either make a trip very exciting or very scary. So we’ll see how it goes! And, Brett is kind of crazy so I hope we don’t feed off each other’s craziness and get in trouble. Getting trouble in a foreign country is totally different from getting in trouble in
America . But I think we’ll be alright. He’s a cool guy.
I just have to say right now though that if my uncle wasn’t here in
France , I would be so lost and probably in trouble. I am so blessed to have him here so I can have a place to rest when I’m hurt, to show me how everything works in
France , and give me some good food! I really don’t know where I would be if he wasn’t here. It’s been such a better and more enjoyable trip because of him. And it’s so awesome that we haven’t seen each other in four years. It’s been a great time.
I don’t know when I will be able to update the blog next but I will try and find internet access. Have a great weekend!
I know it’s been a while since I last blogged but it’s been a crazy two weeks. The first week wasn’t crazy because Stacey and I finally got a whole week off from walking our first 500 miles. So that was a must. David and his parents were very hospitable to us the whole week and we had a blast. But I feel the week went by way too fast. It felt like I was there for only a day. I think it’s because out here when I’m walking, so much happens in one day. And when I finally get a break, it goes by really fast. I don’t know, but it was fun nonetheless. We went into
London for a day and toured the amazing city until nightfall. I saw Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, the big abandoned factory that’s on the Pink Floyd album, and tons of other awesome stuff. It was fantastic. What a world class city.
Other days we just hung out, went into Horsham (David’s town), walked around, saw a movie, played some music at his studio, and visited with the family. It was such a great and restful week. Another man named David Gilburt stayed with us as well who is a South African missionary to
Russia . He was very nice and had a lot of great stories. I will be forever indebted to the Vincent family for what they have done for us. Every night they cooked us dinner and did our laundry and just treated us like we were their own. It was quite amazing. Thank you again Vincent family!
So on Monday we sailed out from Newhaven to
Dieppe, France for the beginning of our Tour de France. This is our own little tour and more manly than those sissies on the bikes. Just kidding, they’re pretty studly. We got into
Dieppe around 2:30 PM and just started walking. We ran into a little problem though because I couldn’t find the road that we were supposed to take. So I found a little map to try and find my way but it just didn’t help. So I decided to take a road that led in the direction that we needed to go. And all day long we had no clue where we were. We ended up stopping that night still not knowing where we were. I was struggling mentally that day. I had a rough time getting around the fact that I had no idea where I was and that I might be wasting time going in the wrong direction. And to make it better, there was a big fight in a house right across the street from where we set up our tent. It sounded like people were killing each other. But we survived it. All is well…
Tuesday wasn’t too bad. In the morning it started raining while we were packing up but then a lovely old lady came over and started to speak to us in French. I had no clue what she was saying but I could tell she wanted to invite us in for coffee. So we accepted and went in until the rain stopped. She also fed us crepes and told us where we were and gave us a map! It was a great little encounter that lifted my spirits a lot. It’s so amazing how we could communicate but not even speak the same language. So we left and walked through rain pretty much all day. But we still progressed a very long way, which is fine by me. We camped out in a random field off the road. It was actually pretty comfy because the grass was tall and made it like a natural mattress.
Wednesday was Stacey’s last day, unfortunately. We had to stop a little early because she had to get back to start school. But she still made a great distance and stuck through it like a champ. I am very proud of her and she did an amazing job of encouraging me and keeping me company. You rock, Stacey! So we only had to walk about 12 miles to get the town we needed to stop in. She leaves tomorrow and we don’t have enough time to get all the way to
Paris . So we’re taking a train in. But the people that helped us yesterday said there was a train station in Gournay, and they were wrong. I was shocked. We got to a gas station and sought out help to find a way to get into the next town with a train station. I very nice man who knew some English helped us out. We ended up having to take a taxi, which cost a poop load. Then we had to get a train from
Beauvais to Creil, and then a taxi from Creil to my uncle’s house. It was treacherous. And even when we got there, we had to find the neighbor who had my uncle’s key, because he is out of town right now. Well when you live in a little village of all French people where none of them speak English, it’s a little difficult. I was able to speak to a family in Spanish while they spoke in Italian. It was wild. But finally the neighbor that had the key came home. Her name is Michelle and she actually knows some English. I was happy. So she let us in and we got to relax in my Uncle’s pad!
Stacey left on Thursday and I just got to hang around my Uncle’s house alone. In the afternoon Michelle took me into town and we went shopping. She taught me some French, I taught her some English…it was fun. My uncle came in on Friday and that’s when the party began. I’m not going to start walking again until Monday because Brett doesn’t get in till the 21st and I can’t walk almost two weeks by myself. That’s crazy! So I’ll start Monday and walk until the 21st. But man have we had a blast. We’ve been watching Seinfeld, going into town, went jogging a few times, met some friends, etc. It was awesome. One couple that I met named Gerrit and Anne from
Belgium were so much fun to be with. I went over to their house and I will say that this was by far the coolest house I’ve ever been in. The living quarters are built within the walls of a 700 year old castle. They fed us a French meal that was basically different seafoods. It was an interesting but fun experience. They are great people. I will never forget them! I haven’t been able to see my uncle in almost four years! And now I get to see him in his hometown in
France . It feels so surreal! I am so happy to be here with him. But tomorrow I start walking…alone…for eight days! Pray for me and think about me in that time! I guess I’ll see you all on the other side! Bye!
July 1, 2009 Bryan is 500 miles into his journey for Clean Water: Location: Horsham, England
Thursday 2009-06-18
This morning before we left, Bryan Jennings, the other person staying with Stephen prayed over us. It was very encouraging and it lifted our spirits before a big three days of walking. The day was great and not too difficult. The weather once again was clear and bearable. And as we got into Stratford-Upon-Avon (where William Shakespeare was born) we stopped at a Tesco gas station to look at a map. As I was looking the cashier asked if we needed help going anywhere. I told her that we were looking for a cheap place to stay (hostel) or a place to pitch out tent. She told us that there was a hostel outside of town but I told her that we would have to walk there (and it was kind of far away and in the opposite direction). So out of the blue she just said, “Well you can stay with me if you’d like.” I was still looking at the map and I looked right up with my mouth wide open and just yelled, “YES!” We didn’t even have to ask! Her name is Jane Ireland and she is such a sweetheart. It was perfect timing too because she was about to get off work and she even told me that she never works on a Thursday. But before we left the other two cashiers said that they wanted to donate over the website! It was so exciting! So Jane took us to her home and we got to meet her husband Patty and her two awesome dogs. They really are great people and so gracious. We just hung out, had dinner, drank so tea, and watch FOOTBALL! Patty is a huge football fan so he constantly watches. It was such a relieving night. Finding a place to stay with someone is always awesome. Thank you Jane!
Friday 2009-06-19
We ate breakfast this morning and walked back to Jane’s work with her. After that we parted ways and kept walking to Chipping Norton. As we got to Chipping Norton we stopped to have dinner at the Shell station, which was the only the around on that highway. So we sat down by the pumps and ate our PBJ’s and hopefully looked pathetic enough for someone to take us in. People talked to us but there was no one that wanted to help us out. So we just kept walking. But only 200 yards later I saw this little cottage on the side of the highway that I just had to try. So I went up and knocked on the door and a little man came out from behind the house. We asked if we could simply stay in his gated garden for the night and he said, “of course!” I was so pleased. He even let us come in and hang out for a few hours. They gave us tea and biscuits and let us take a shower! It was amazing. We talked about so many things. It’s amazing how much history they know about their little town. His cottage was built in the early 1900’s and it was a barn. He personally renovated it himself years ago. The building behind him was a church and a building down the road was a monastery. He said that when travelers would come, the church would invite them in and the monks would come down from the monastery and take care of them. That story sounded awfully familiar to ours at the moment. Though, he is now the one taking care of us. It’s cool how he unintentionally kept the legacy going.
Saturday 2009-06-20
Bert and his wife June fed us breakfast this morning. It was a very special morning for them though because on this day they have been married for 56 years! Someone came to their house and June got her hair done. She is so cute. They are so precious together and after 56 years are still in love and committed to each other. It’s really encouraging to see people like that. They took great care of us. I will never forget them.
We got into Oxford by 5:00 PM today and made it to our contact’s house. Alysen from Birmingham has a friend who lives here named Nick Ferriby and he is letting us stay with him tonight and tomorrow night. We got to his house a little early though so we had to weight until someone got there. About ten minutes later Nick’s roommate, Tim Martin, showed up and let us and let us shower and relax. Tim is a really cool guy and is very passionate for Jesus, which excited me. Once we got our showers he asked if we wanted to go to a barbeque. He said there would be food, games, and fun. I wanted to because there was going to be food, but I also wanted to see how a British barbeque went down. When we got there I realized it was pretty much the same as America, which is alright because barbeques are fun! I met a lot of AWESOME people who were very supportive of what we were doing. I also played nine games of volleyball for about two hours. So much for relaxing. But it’s alright because we won, hahaha. But it was so great just to relax with great people. Then I finally got to meet Nick. He showed up late because he was at a cricket match. Nick is such a stud AND he used to even be a professional cricket player. I couldn’t believe that I was staying in the house of an ex-professional cricketer! So I enjoyed myself. And tomorrow we have a day off! Woohoo!
Sunday 2009-06-21
We got up and went to church with Tim and Nick. They go to St. Andrews Church and it was pretty interesting how similar it was to church at home but still culturally different. I enjoyed visiting and worshiping with British believers J. After that we hopped on a bus to the city centre to go visit Oxford University. But as we got on the bus we ran into Tim’s mentor, John. Luckily, he didn’t have much going on so he showed us around. This is a good thing because Tim and Nick knew nothing about the history of Oxford, hahaha. So he showed us around a bunch of the colleges and a lot of historical places; some being the pub that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis hung out at, where the priests were burned on the cross, the guy who discovered Halley’s comet’s house…stuff like that. It’s so weird though because the university is set up a little differently. It isn’t just one big huge campus that is all connected. The university is broken up into 36 separate little colleges. So it was neat to see all the buildings and artwork.
In the afternoon a new friend named, Micah Steinwandt, came and picked me up in Oxford and took me into London to go to Hillsong Church at the Dominion Theatre. Micah works for Mildenhall Air Force Military Base as a missionary to the young airment. He is really awesome and extremely caring. I got to ride in on the Tube for the first time and he bought me dinner too. I felt so spoiled! The church was massive. The praise music felt like a rock concert. It was intense…but cool. AND, Micah had me fill out a prayer request for EE and every service they take all the prayer requests on stage and say a few of them, but not all of them. There were dozens and dozens of them, but he picked out mine and talked about EE in front of 2,000 people! It was incredible! Afterward Micah took me to meet some of his friends around the corner. I got to talk to a lot of different people about the expedition. It was like a cultural melting pot. I talked to people from about 10 different nations while I was there. It was pretty sweet. So, though it was a long day, it was definitely worth it. But now I have to get ready for another three days of walking. We’re almost done with England!
Monday 2009-06-22
Tonight we made it to the town of Nettlebed, England. This is the town that Ian Fleming, the writer of the 007 books, was born. I learn something new everyday! Today was kind of a boring walk but the evening made up for it. When we stopped for the night, I decided to sit and eat dinner in an area that was densely populated with people so someone might come up and talk to us. But after an hour of that, it didn’t really work. So I got up and walked up one of the residential streets and knocked on the first door I saw. A man named Dennis answered the door and two little kids popped their head through the door to see who it was. I began to tell what I was doing and asked if I could stay on his front lawn. He first directed me to the field that I was just on but I told him that the cars were loud and I wouldn’t be able to sleep. So he said yes and even told us to come in for a drink! I was excited. I then got to meet his wife, Phillipa who is just a sweetheart. Right when I sat down, she shoved drinks and cookies right in front of me and kept asking if we needed anything. We got to talking more and got more comfortable with each other. So then she asked if we wanted a shower! I didn’t decline. So she let Stacey take a bath in one bathroom and I took a shower in their bedroom. I couldn’t believe how welcoming they were. It was so amazing. A little bit later, as they were more comfortable with us (because that’s what it takes, just talking to them and getting to know them) they decided to let us just sleep in their lounge. What a blessing. So we fell asleep watching Forrest Gump. Go figure. Good ending.
Tuesday 2009-06-23
This morning before we left Dennis’ house, we showed his kids, Jerome and Tierney, how to set up the tent. They loved it. They are such adorable children. I am going to miss them. We made it to a quite larger town today, Bracknell. We were hoping there was going to be a cheap hostel in the city centre, since it was pretty big. But there wasn’t L. So we just kept walking and got to the outskirts of the city and started knocking on doors again, haha. But no one answered their door. We tried about half a dozen houses…kind of odd. So we just pitched the tent in this little patch of grass and trees in the middle of this neighborhood. I came to the reality that my view of God “taking care of me” is not the same as his. I think every single night he’ll find us a house to sleep in. But some nights I have to experience the outside, being dirty, and cold weather. Which really isn’t that bad. No one bothered us, I fell asleep quickly, and it was quiet. And we didn’t get arrested, that’s always a good thing. So I’m happy. Anyway, we get to see Micah again tomorrow!
Wednesday 2009-06-24
Today was a short day, 15 miles! It worked out well because we had to take a two hour train up to Cambridge to meet up with Micah. We are staying with him for two days before we keep heading south to the coast. And let me just tell you, that if it weren’t for the people that we have met so far (and are going to meet), then this trek would not have been as worth it, because meeting people like Micah is just so encouraging and exciting. This guy is so caring. Because we kind of had to make a trip out of our way to go visit him, he paid for our train ticket! Then when we got to his flat, he showed us our beds, bathroom, and food and said “make yourself at home.” We went and grabbed some great pizza from the Air Force Base and just chilled for the rest of the night. I can tell this will be a great break as well.
Thursday and Friday 2009-06-25/26
This break was sooooo amazing. It’s so funny how we did so much but still had a lot of time to just chill. He took us to the town of Ely to see the historic Ely Cathedral. It is so massive and beautiful. I am just so amazed that humans could make this stuff without cranes and concrete mixers. It’s funny because the town of Ely is really small but the cathedral just towers over everything and since the land around it is flat, you can see it from miles away. And an interesting fact about this church for all of you music buffs (Jeff Thorne) is if you look on the Pink Floyd album “The Division Bell” it’s the church on the front cover in between the two large heads. So that was pretty sweet.
We also went to Cambridge to see the famous university. The history here is amazing. This year they are celebrating 800 years of education. I can’t believe that. I also got to see where C.S. Lewis taught, which was awesome!
The rest of the time during these two days, we hung out with the Airmen at the base. It was so cool to see a group of people in the military that love God and are trying to be a light to everyone else on base. I met a lot of awesome people and we had a blast. On Thursday night we did this weekly fellowship thing on base where everyone gets together and hangs out, eats, talks, watches movies, etc. I had such a great time that I am going to come back once I’m done with the walk and hang out with the guys. I’m going with one guy, Reid Scott, who is a stud, up to Northern Scotland to look around. It’s going to be sick. We all went to see Transformers 2 as well, which was an awesome movie. It was cool to go with a bunch of Airmen because the whole time they would lean over and tell me every single plane or jet that was in the movie. It was funny. I had a great time with those guys. They really helped me spiritually (you know, that whole fellowship with the brothers thing).
So all in all, this break was amazing. I had a great time, got a lot of rest, Micah treated us like kings, and we got to meet and talk to a lot of people. It was such an honor to meet Micah and be with him for the short time that we could. I can’t wait to go back and see them all. There are some places out here that I just don’t want to leave. It sucks, but I have to keep going. Thank you Micah!
Saturday 2009-06-27 We made it to David Vincent’s town, meaning we only have one more day of walking in England!!! My friend, David, was in America for five months doing ministry and I met him through other friends. And it’s just funny how my route went right through his town. Small world, big kingdom. His parents, how are AMAZING, cooked us a delicious Louisiana dish. I had three full servings…I’m such a fatty. So once we get done tomorrow, we will spend a whole week with him and his family. We will hang out, go to London, and just detox from walking across the UK. Then France here we come. We decided to bypass the Netherlands and Belgium due to time constraints and what not. We have to be in Paris on a certain day to allow Stacey to fly home and it was just cutting it too close. But the original route was the long way. We’re just cutting straight to France which is still a good way. I am at peace about the decision and excited to walk through Normandy! I heard it’s beautiful there. I can’t wait.
Sunday 2009-06-28
We are done with ENGLAND!!! What a relief! I can’t believe we have made it this far! I think we are right at 500 miles completed now. We ended in the city of Brighton. It’s a very lively city. David and his dad came and picked us up. Today was really hilly and long but we got it done. I got a lot of great pictures of the countryside. It’s so beautiful and lush.
So when we got back to the house we had dinner and just relaxed. David’s parents are very godly people and loving. It’s amazing that they are going to let us stay with them for free for a whole week! That is such a great gift. We really need this break. It’s been tough and we haven’t been able to take multiple days off to recover from everything. But this will be perfect. It is an honor to be here. We have already had incredible conversations about different topics. David’s father is very wise and holy. I have a feeling this week will be a spiritual replenishing as well. I am excited! Thank you God for getting us this far!!!!
So the eight days of walking didn’t happen the way I thought. I began walking at 9:00 on Monday morning in Gournay. I was nervous about the loneliness but as I began walking I was actually excited about getting through this on my own. So I was able to walk 32 miles the first day and I felt pretty good. I stopped for a small lunch and dinner and didn’t stop for the day until 10:00 PM. It felt like the second longest day of my life (the longest one being the last day of the American leg – 52 miles of walking!). So I camped out in the middle of nowhere rather close to the road. I got some pretty good sleep that night. I walked until I couldn’t walk anymore. The next morning I woke up at 8:30 and got ready for another big day. I once again walked all day and took little breaks to try and make good time. I realized that I could accomplish eight days of walking in five and a half days. If I get to 
So on my few days off before Brett came I just relaxed around my uncle’s house. I went to the market to get some food, walked the dog a little bit, and hung out with my uncle’s neighbor, Michelle. We drove into 
I just have to say right now though that if my uncle wasn’t here in 
I know it’s been a while since I last blogged but it’s been a crazy two weeks. The first week wasn’t crazy because Stacey and I finally got a whole week off from walking our first 500 miles. So that was a must. David and his parents were very hospitable to us the whole week and we had a blast. But I feel the week went by way too fast. It felt like I was there for only a day. I think it’s because out here when I’m walking, so much happens in one day. And when I finally get a break, it goes by really fast. I don’t know, but it was fun nonetheless. We went into 
So on Monday we sailed out from Newhaven to
Wednesday was Stacey’s last day, unfortunately. We had to stop a little early because she had to get back to start school. But she still made a great distance and stuck through it like a champ. I am very proud of her and she did an amazing job of encouraging me and keeping me company. You rock, Stacey! So we only had to walk about 12 miles to get the town we needed to stop in. She leaves tomorrow and we don’t have enough time to get all the way to 
This morning before we left, Bryan Jennings, the other person staying with Stephen prayed over us. It was very encouraging and it lifted our spirits before a big three days of walking. The day was great and not too difficult. The weather once again was clear and bearable. And as we got into Stratford-Upon-Avon (where William Shakespeare was born) we stopped at a Tesco gas station to look at a map. As I was looking the cashier asked if we needed help going anywhere. I told her that we were looking for a cheap place to stay (hostel) or a place to pitch out tent. She told us that there was a hostel outside of town but I told her that we would have to walk there (and it was kind of far away and in the opposite direction). So out of the blue she just said, “Well you can stay with me if you’d like.” I was still looking at the map and I looked right up with my mouth wide open and just yelled, “YES!” We didn’t even have to ask! Her name is Jane Ireland and she is such a sweetheart. It was perfect timing too because she was about to get off work and she even told me that she never works on a Thursday. But before we left the other two cashiers said that they wanted to donate over the website! It was so exciting! So Jane took us to her home and we got to meet her husband Patty and her two awesome dogs. They really are great people and so gracious. We just hung out, had dinner, drank so tea, and watch FOOTBALL! Patty is a huge football fan so he constantly watches. It was such a relieving night. Finding a place to stay with someone is always awesome. Thank you Jane!
We ate breakfast this morning and walked back to Jane’s work with her. After that we parted ways and kept walking to Chipping Norton. As we got to Chipping Norton we stopped to have dinner at the Shell station, which was the only the around on that highway. So we sat down by the pumps and ate our PBJ’s and hopefully looked pathetic enough for someone to take us in. People talked to us but there was no one that wanted to help us out. So we just kept walking. But only 200 yards later I saw this little cottage on the side of the highway that I just had to try. So I went up and knocked on the door and a little man came out from behind the house. We asked if we could simply stay in his gated garden for the night and he said, “of course!” I was so pleased. He even let us come in and hang out for a few hours. They gave us tea and biscuits and let us take a shower! It was amazing. We talked about so many things. It’s amazing how much history they know about their little town. His cottage was built in the early 1900’s and it was a barn. He personally renovated it himself years ago. The building behind him was a church and a building down the road was a monastery. He said that when travelers would come, the church would invite them in and the monks would come down from the monastery and take care of them. That story sounded awfully familiar to ours at the moment. Though, he is now the one taking care of us. It’s cool how he unintentionally kept the legacy going. 
Bert and his wife June fed us breakfast this morning. It was a very special morning for them though because on this day they have been married for 56 years! Someone came to their house and June got her hair done. She is so cute. They are so precious together and after 56 years are still in love and committed to each other. It’s really encouraging to see people like that. They took great care of us. I will never forget them. 
We got up and went to church with Tim and Nick. They go to St. Andrews Church and it was pretty interesting how similar it was to church at home but still culturally different. I enjoyed visiting and worshiping with British believers J. After that we hopped on a bus to the city centre to go visit Oxford University. But as we got on the bus we ran into Tim’s mentor, John. Luckily, he didn’t have much going on so he showed us around. This is a good thing because Tim and Nick knew nothing about the history of Oxford, hahaha. So he showed us around a bunch of the colleges and a lot of historical places; some being the pub that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis hung out at, where the priests were burned on the cross, the guy who discovered Halley’s comet’s house…stuff like that. It’s so weird though because the university is set up a little differently. It isn’t just one big huge campus that is all connected. The university is broken up into 36 separate little colleges. So it was neat to see all the buildings and artwork. 
Tonight we made it to the town of Nettlebed, England. This is the town that Ian Fleming, the writer of the 007 books, was born. I learn something new everyday! Today was kind of a boring walk but the evening made up for it. When we stopped for the night, I decided to sit and eat dinner in an area that was densely populated with people so someone might come up and talk to us. But after an hour of that, it didn’t really work. So I got up and walked up one of the residential streets and knocked on the first door I saw. A man named Dennis answered the door and two little kids popped their head through the door to see who it was. I began to tell what I was doing and asked if I could stay on his front lawn. He first directed me to the field that I was just on but I told him that the cars were loud and I wouldn’t be able to sleep. So he said yes and even told us to come in for a drink! I was excited. I then got to meet his wife, Phillipa who is just a sweetheart. Right when I sat down, she shoved drinks and cookies right in front of me and kept asking if we needed anything. We got to talking more and got more comfortable with each other. So then she asked if we wanted a shower! I didn’t decline. So she let Stacey take a bath in one bathroom and I took a shower in their bedroom. I couldn’t believe how welcoming they were. It was so amazing. A little bit later, as they were more comfortable with us (because that’s what it takes, just talking to them and getting to know them) they decided to let us just sleep in their lounge. What a blessing. So we fell asleep watching Forrest Gump. Go figure. Good ending. 
We made it to a quite larger town today, Bracknell. We were hoping there was going to be a cheap hostel in the city centre, since it was pretty big. But there wasn’t L. So we just kept walking and got to the outskirts of the city and started knocking on doors again, haha. But no one answered their door. We tried about half a dozen houses…kind of odd. So we just pitched the tent in this little patch of grass and trees in the middle of this neighborhood. I came to the reality that my view of God “taking care of me” is not the same as his. I think every single night he’ll find us a house to sleep in. But some nights I have to experience the outside, being dirty, and cold weather. Which really isn’t that bad. No one bothered us, I fell asleep quickly, and it was quiet. And we didn’t get arrested, that’s always a good thing. So I’m happy. Anyway, we get to see Micah again tomorrow!
This break was sooooo amazing. It’s so funny how we did so much but still had a lot of time to just chill. He took us to the town of Ely to see the historic Ely Cathedral. It is so massive and beautiful. I am just so amazed that humans could make this stuff without cranes and concrete mixers. It’s funny because the town of Ely is really small but the cathedral just towers over everything and since the land around it is flat, you can see it from miles away. And an interesting fact about this church for all of you music buffs (Jeff Thorne) is if you look on the Pink Floyd album “The Division Bell” it’s the church on the front cover in between the two large heads. So that was pretty sweet.
We made it to David Vincent’s town, meaning we only have one more day of walking in England!!! My friend, David, was in America for five months doing ministry and I met him through other friends. And it’s just funny how my route went right through his town. Small world, big kingdom. His parents, how are AMAZING, cooked us a delicious Louisiana dish. I had three full servings…I’m such a fatty. So once we get done tomorrow, we will spend a whole week with him and his family. We will hang out, go to London, and just detox from walking across the UK. Then France here we come. We decided to bypass the Netherlands and Belgium due to time constraints and what not. We have to be in Paris on a certain day to allow Stacey to fly home and it was just cutting it too close. But the original route was the long way. We’re just cutting straight to France which is still a good way. I am at peace about the decision and excited to walk through Normandy! I heard it’s beautiful there. I can’t wait.
We are done with ENGLAND!!! What a relief! I can’t believe we have made it this far! I think we are right at 500 miles completed now. We ended in the city of Brighton. It’s a very lively city. David and his dad came and picked us up. Today was really hilly and long but we got it done. I got a lot of great pictures of the countryside. It’s so beautiful and lush. 